2001 US press briefings
The James S. Brady Briefing Room
12:35 P.M. EDT
MR. FLEISCHER: Good afternoon. Happy Friday to the White House Press Corps. President Bush today announced his intention to nominate Louis Kincannon to be Director of the Census at the Department of Commerce. President Bush today announced his intention to nominate Melvin Sembler to be ambassador of the United States to Italy.
I have a week ahead at the end of this briefing, so please remind me to get to that. With that, I'm pleased to take any questions.
Q What are Mr. Sembler's qualifications to be ambassador to Italy?
MR. FLEISCHER: The President believes that Mr. Sembler to be a very able diplomat, you will see by the information we've put out about his background. His previous experience where he was Ambassador to Australia under former President Bush, where he very well represented our country. He was appointed by President Reagan to the White House Conference For A Drug-Free America. He's been involved in the United States government before. He represented our country abroad very well in that capacity.
Q I'd like to ask you another question on foreign policy. The Secretary of State meets with Chinese officials on Saturday, and says he will bring up the country's mixed record on compliance with the 2000 Nonproliferation Agreement with the U.S. Has United States formerly protested to China about their continued exports of missiles and related technology to Pakistan and other countries?
MR. FLEISCHER: Ron, the administration firmly opposes all Chinese transfers of missiles and weapons of mass destruction, related technology to other countries. Nonproliferation is a key element in the United States relations with China, and the United States will continue to make this an important topic in our discussions with China, as Secretary Powell did this week. The United States expects China to live up to its nonproliferation commitments, and we will continue to press China to adhere to those policies.
Q And what else do you hope to get out of the meeting?
MR. FLEISCHER: With China? I think our relations with China are very important to the United States. Our relations with China represent some serious opportunities, particularly on the trade front. It also represents particular challenges involving human rights. And the President is going to continue to focus on both the positive aspects of our relationship with China, and he will not shy away from confronting China directly on the aspects that need to be improved.
Q Ari, on that subject, does the administration see a deterioration in China's performance on nonproliferation issues?
MR. FLEISCHER: As Secretary Powell said, China's performance on proliferation is mixed. And we're going to continue to press China because so much of peace throughout the world depends on different nations not acquiring weapons of mass destruction and technology that is given as a result of weakness, or mixed results on proliferation. So it's an important ongoing part of the U.S. relations with China, and the administration, as Secretary Powell has indicated, will not hesitate to press China on it.
Q Is there a trend in all this --
MR. FLEISCHER: I think mixed indicates, as the Secretary said, some positive developments, some negative developments. It's mixed, and that's why it's important for the United States to continue to press China as Secretary Powell has, and as the President will continue to do so.
Q Ari, you articulated well this morning about how the United States may not go to the Race Conference, the U.N.-backed Race Conference in Africa. But some critics are wondering if you have such a strong stand, why not go and make that stand there about Zionism as well as reparations?
MR. FLEISCHER: The conference that is scheduled to take place in Africa, designed to fight racism, presents the United States with a historic opportunity, and it presents the rest of the world with a historic opportunity to unite in international efforts to create a new climate to fight racism. The President believes one of the best ways to fight racism around the world is through the development of democracy throughout the world. The democratic nations, while they have problems, are the nations that have brought about the greatest advances in racial harmony and racial healing. It's often the nations that lack democracy that engage in ethnic cleansing and present the world with the deepest problems.